New year, new drinks!
by Reem Khaleel Dec 31, 2022
Forget about a steamy kiss at the stroke of midnight. Instead, ring in the new year with a mocktail from some of Intrigue’s favorite alcohol alternatives. These festive and delicious alcohol-free bevs are perfect to share with your loved ones at a New Year’s Eve party or to indulge in while watching the Times Square ball drop on TV from the comfort of your couch. Especially if you plan to begin 2023 with Dry January, a 30-day booze break meant to reset your relationship with alcohol. What better time to start than midnight on Jan. 1?
Here are five mocktails to ring in the New Year and kickstart your Dry January goals.
1. Holiday Rush
Ritual Zero Proof, the first American-made liquor replacement for creating non-alcoholic versions of your favorite cocktail, offers rum, tequila, gin and whiskey alternatives made to be a 1:1 swap with the real deal. Their Holiday Rush mocktail is a twist on the classic gin and tonic, featuring their Gin Alternative, tonic water, and cranberries and rosemary sprigs as garnishes. Enjoy the slight bitterness of tonic water with the sweetness of gin in this booze-free version, uniquely concocted to mimic the taste, smell, and burn of traditional alcohol.
The Bourbon Champagne Cocktail, created at the famous Seelbach Hotel in Louisville, Ky. that inspired F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, comes with an interesting origin. In 1995, bartender — and the hotel's former director of restaurants — Adam Seger created the cocktail with a fabricated backstory to promote the hotel, having said it was born in 1912 when a couple on their honeymoon ordered a Manhattan and a champagne cocktail and the bartender “accidentally” spilled the champagne into the Manhattan. In reality, Seger created the popular concoction, which he publicly announced in 2009. Despite its false origin, the mixture is still a hit today.
Ritual Zero Proof’s non-alcoholic variation of the famous drink uses orange juice in place of citrus liqueur and sparkling cider instead of bubbly champagne for an equally satisfying replacement.
Founded in 2019, Lyre’s has become the world’s leading independent non-alcoholic spirits brand in just three years by replicating popular spirits sans alcohol, ensuring that each one is as close in quality and taste to its alcoholic counterpart. Their Festive Mimosa mixes their Apéritif Rosso (featuring citrus and notes of vanilla and caramel) with their Dry London Spirit (hints of zesty lime and spicy juniper), orange juice, alcohol-free sparkling wine (we like Jøyus) and premium vanilla syrup for a mimosa that's both holiday-appropriate and refreshing.
Nothing’s worse than a too-sweet drink, which is why For Bitter For Worse products include natural sweeteners like pure monk fruit, wine grape nectar, and maple syrup. Their Cranberry Saskatoon Spritz is a refreshing sparkler, combining The Saskatoon (similar in taste and color to pinot noir), spiced cranberry syrup (like Raft Cranberry Five Spice Syrup), sparkling water, and a splash of gin alternative (if you choose). This mocktail offers the perfect mix of sweet (notes of berry in The Saskatoon) and spicy (ginger, star anise, cinnamon, black pepper, and cloves in the spiced cranberry syrup) to ring in the new year on a pleasent note.
Mingle Mocktails is a go-to, low-calorie spirit alternative for social occasions that can be enjoyed on their own or in a mixed drink. Sans artificial sweeteners, their vegan flavors are the perfect base for boozy cocktails and virgin mocktails alike to avoid unwanted sugar, calories, and dyes. This Dessert Martini mixes their Blackberry Hibiscus Bellini (naturally sweetened with pure cane sugar and only 60 calories), chocolate bitters, and chocolate syrup for a truly remarkable-tasting, low-cal dessertini. Decadent yet guilt-free, this mocktail will make you want your first "meal" of the new year to be dessert!
Reem Khaleel is the Editorial Assistant at IntrigueMag and a writer from the Maldives who escapes into fictional worlds by writing her own YA rom-com novels. In addition to IntrigueMag, her writing has been featured on CBR.
